Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Who better to recommend some fiction than a crackerjack fiction writer herself? Apropos of the publication of her splendid new book of short stories,You Won't Remember This, (SMU Press), I invited Kate Blackwell to guest-blog here on Madam Mayo with a summer reading list. I have long admired her work. We were in a Washington DC writers group for a few years, and, back in 2003, I was honored to be able to reprint her short story, "Pepper Hunt" together with its first Spanish translation as "Caseria con pimienta" by Egla Morales Blouin, in Tameme. Kate reports that this summer she'll be reading away in her cottage on Maryland's Eastern Shore.--- Madam Mayo

“Summer reading” has become an oxymoron, as shown on the cover of the Summer Reading Issue of the Washington Post magazine recently, where a woman lies in a beach chair, hat over her face, arms dangling, either asleep or dead. There is no book in the picture. (Write your own story.) I have another picture of summer reading, and how it differs from winter reading or fall or spring reading. For me, a summer book is one I can’t easily put down, like Gone With the Wind the summer before I turned twelve. I didn’t want to do anything else but read that book and, unlike other times of year, I didn’t have anything else to do. Some of the best reads of my life were in those adolescent summers, long, sweaty un-air-conditioned days lying in a porch swing with The Count of Monte Cristo and Jane Eyre and Ivanhoe, meaty novels about worlds far from mine. I still look for those reading experiences, though now I find them in stories more often than novels. The following are “summer books” that keep me awake, and more importantly, alive.

Anton Chekhov’s longer stories for his clear-eyed, compassionate picture of the suffering and joy life brings to everyone. My favorites are “In the Ravine,” “Peasants,” “Gooseberries,” “A Boring Story,” and “Lady with a Pet Dog.”

William Trevor’s portrayals of Irish and English middle-class characters coping with a diminished present and a past that won’t leave them alone. Look for his two novellas in Two Lives and the haunting story “The News from Ireland.”

Alice Munro’s tales about plucky Canadians of all stripes, stories that give us entire lives in twenty pages. Her latest are The View from Castle Rock and Runaway.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Last Saturday morning, I signed books--- the new paperback edition of Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles through Baja California, the Other Mexico at the Milkweed Editions booth at the American Library Association bookfair at the Washington DC (gulp) Convention Center. Having seen that ginormous multi-acre hive, well, mangoes to anyone who says reading is dead. Thousands and thousands of librarians shlepping shoulder-breaking bags full of books--- with enthusiasm! Well, can there be a crowd more enthusiastic about books than librarians? I saw Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners! And heard Naomi Ayala read her glorious poetry. And said hi to E. Ethelbert Miller (who read his poems at the ALA inaugural event), novelists Anosh Irani and Donna Leon, not to mention scads and scads of childrens book authors... and Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle and Washington DC's Underground Railroad historian Mary Kay Ricks... Books are a big business, so it's strange, really, that there are ever fewer book reviews. This is well-documented phenomeon--- in fact, the National Book Critics Circle has a campaign to "save book reviews." A fascinating conversation with one publisher's marketing director there--- how getting a review in, say, the Washington Post, is like winning the lottery, so she's been aiming more of her pitches at the litblogs. As I've mentioned many times (most recently here), I am intrigued by the so-called "litblogs" as an emerging literary genre. She mentioned Book Slut, I mentioned The Happy Booker... I think we both said The Millions at the same time... Maud Newton is one of the best... The Old Hag has been around quite awhile... But I believe, rather than generalist litblogs, we are going to see an increasing influence of individual writers's blogs. Some of the abovementioned litblogs are by writers; what I mean by an "individual writers's blogs" is that the focus is primarily on the writers's own work, or what the writers, qua writers, find of interest. These may or may not offer book reviews, but they do often mention books they like, or don't like, in effect, providing blurbs and sending readers to new (and old) books--- in short, assuming more of the function of print reviews. An excellent and early example is Laila Lalami's Moorish Girl. Another example: Leslie Pietrzyk's Work in Progress, which just started up this March. Tod Goldberg and Jim Kunstler blog voluminously, as do The Naked Authors... Ken Ackerman, author of, most recently, Young J. Edgar Hoover, has started his blog, Coffee With Ken with some essays on related current events--- but how often will he post? Is his heart really in it? More anon.---> Read my other posts on "Gone to to the Litblogs" here.

(Speaking of many voices, etc--- last night, while working though a Bento box at the Dupont Circle Teaism, couldn't help overhearing snippets from the tables on either side, one discussing Bolivia, the other, Egypt. I didn't pay much attention, however, as I was so thoroughly engrossed in Judith Martin's charm-fest of a new tome about Venice, No Vulgar Hotel.) More anon.

The other day, when I was at the Writers Center to give my Literary Travel Writing Workshop, I happened upon a tiny, brown, hand-stamped and altogether peculiar-looking package that turned out to be an art book by Sally Canzoneri. The title: Repurposed Law. She'd taken her law books, colored them and turned them into book-like origami--- the point being, as she writes in the insert, "About This Book," to "reshape my old law books, just as the Bush administration has reshaped our law to suit its purposes. My law books can have a new purpose now: commenting on what the Bush administration has done to our nation's greatest treasure--- our legal system." Apropos of art books, I went on a little Internet surfari and found quite a few delve-worthy websites. Here's a good place to start your own book art surfari:Pyramid Atlantic: Contemporary Prints, Paper, and Book Arts.

This photo is of the beautiful black Yogi, of Pug Snuggly by Yogi.Picadou loves-loves-loves her Pug Snugglies by Yogi--- these are soft-soft-soft coats specially shaped for a pug's cobby body. Picadou has two, one in black with a pink lining, and one in red with the black-and-bone collar.

Well, pugs are so cute it may be hard to believe: there are many, many pugs in need of rescue. (Read more at www.pugrescue.com) Yogi and Jett write:

Help us help those in need by purchasing one of our "Have a Heart" necklaces for only $25. Yogi will donate $15 of the sale to the Pug Rescue of your choice. This wonderful necklace was designed to be worn by every Pug, woman and child.

Solutions Abroad, an information-packed website intended to help build community among expats in Mexico, features Yours Truly as Expat of the Month. Glad to have the chance to plug Miraculous Air and the collection of Mexican fiction and literary prose, Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion. I've been surprised how many people who come to my book signings tell me they are thinking of moving to Mexico. Here's a previous post about that phenomenon. And about that wall. Now that this Solutions Abroad profile is on-line, I've been getting scads of e-mail from people who want advice about how to get a job in Mexico. Here's what I'm telling them: Check Craig's List. And know that, in order to be legally paid, you need to have your documents in order. Um, Mexico does have a tax authority. And last I checked, pesos weren't sprouting off the trees. Seriously, if you're thinking of living or working in Mexico, check out Solutions Abroad's many useful links. More anon.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Dinner conversation this evening with my amiga K., a DC writer who works in a media organization, about blogging. K. says the successful ones are narrowcasting, i.e., aiming a highly specific blog at a highly specific audience. Indeed: in the litblog world, a good example would be Wendi Kaufman's The Happy Booker, which focuses on news in literary Washington DC and environs. Novelist Leslie Pietrzyk's Work in Progress focuses on, yes, work in progress. In the news world--- for example, for news on Iraq--- a blog I often check in on is Informed Comment, in which University of Michigan Professor of Middle Eastern History Juan Cole offers a daily summary of and commentary on the news in the Middle East. They may not be the end all of the All on this Subject, but between Juan Cole and Col Pat Lang's Sic Semper Tyrannis, I get a better sense of what's going on in Iraq than from reading, say, the Washington Post. For example, last week, when Turkish troops invaded Iraq, to get a sense of what this meant, I skipped the papers and went immediately to these two blogs because (1) both Juan Cole and Col Pat Lang are highly knowledgable about this subject and (2) their blogs often go into far more depth than scant newsprint can. (Though now and again, Col. Pat Lang dips into movie reviewing and showcasing excerpts of his civil war novel...) But back to the litblog world: for literary travel writing, another excellent example of narrowcasting would be World Hum. What of Madam Mayo? I'd put this blog in the category of a Individual Artist Blog. It's about my work and what interests me, as an artist. Some other blogs in said category: David Byrne (musician), Margaret Cho (comedian), Moorish Girl (writer Laila Lalami), Coffee with Ken (Kenneth Ackerman, the writer/ historian/ lawyer). Last thought: It occurs to me that few people over the age of 30 have heard the term "narrowcasting." K. said the under 30s in her office didn't recognize the phrase "Drink the Kool-Aid." Interesting juxtaposition. Possibly meaningless. More anon.

UPDATE: In Clusterfuck Nation--- a hybrid (as per my defintions) of Narrowcasting (comments on current events as related to his book The Long Emergency) and Individual Artist Blog--- Jim Kunstler writes, that this is "a society of envious slobs deluded into thinking that they could become the next Trump if only the Baby Jeezus would whack them over the head with a sock-full of silver dollars." That's pretty much the tone throughout. Post up, bingo, 193 comments.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

"World Hum is an online travel magazine with a literary bent and a global perspective. As we put it on the site, “World Hum is dedicated to exploring travel in all its facets: how it changes us, how it changes the way we see the world, and finally, how travel itself is changing the world.” We publish stories, essays, interviews and book reviews, and we maintain a daily weblog. I co-founded the site six years ago with writer/editor Michael Yessis after complaining about the dearth of outlets for literary travel writing. We’d been maintaining the site as a labor of love while juggling day jobs until a few weeks ago. That changed when World Hum was acquired by the Travel Channel. We’re jazzed that we can now work on the site full-time.

C.M. asked me to recommend five posts. Here are five that I think are representative of what the site is all about.

1.) Unlocking Beirut by Catherine WatsonThis is a lovely essay about travel and people and the passage of time. It’s the kind of travel writing that, sadly, you just can’t find in many publications these days.

2.) Top 30 Travel BooksThis is our take on the top 30 literary travel books of all time, with writers explaining just what makes each book great. Titles range from Jan Morris’s Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere and Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad to Paul Theroux’s The Great Railway Bazaar.

3.) How to Kiss Hello in FranceOur “How To” section shows readers how to dive deep in a culture. This entry is a primer on how to properly greet someone with a kiss on the cheek in France--- a delightful custom that needlessly confounds many visitors.

Here's something that ought to be on youtube.com: Jeffrey Zachmann's kinetic sculptures. I saw a selection of these (for similar, click here) at this past weekend's 57th Street Art Fair in Hyde Park, Chicago. His booth had the biggest crowd, by far.

Get my new longform essay on Kindle

A look at the Mexican literary landscape and the power of the book

Quetzalpugalotl & Quetzalpugtl Chillin' in Tepoztlan

WELCOME, CURIOUS AMD ADVENTUROUS READER!

I am novelist, essayist and literary translator C.M. Mayo and this is my main blog where you will find a post every Monday. Subjects include books, creative process, cyberflanerie, Far West Texas (the subject of my book in-progress), history, literary travel writing, literary translation, and Mexico, where I have been living for some 30 years. I am the author of several books of fiction and nonfiction; in 2017 I was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. For more about the history and philosophy of this blog, see"Writers' Blogs (And My Blog): Eight Conclusions After 8 Years of Blogging" and this post on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, and this post on its 11th. And for more about my books, articles, podcasts, and writing workshops I invite you to visit www.CMMAYO.com.

Rx

VISIT MY OTHER BLOGS (NO, I DO NOT BLOG ALL DAY THOUGH THAT SURE WOULD BE FUN)

The blog for the Marfa Mondays Podcasting Project: Exploring Marfa, Texas & Environs in 24 Podcasts, 2012-2013. All about the podcasts, plus photos, books, videos, and more about Marfa and the Big Bend. This blog and the podcasts are apropos of a work in progress, World Waiting for a Dream: A Turn in Far West Texas.

A once-in-a-while-on-Tuesdays blog to share my (copius) research and other information related to my novel set during the 1860s in Mexico-- that tumultuous period known as the Second Empire or French Intervention.

Finally, after numerous attempts, I tackled the behemoth in 2011. This blog, now closed but ever open for perusal, I kept for myself, for fellow W&P travelers past, present and future, and for my writing workshop students so they can see precisely what I mean by "reading as a writer."

C.M. MAYO'S ONLINE LIBRARY OF OUT-OF-COPYRIGHT TEXAS BOOKS

NOTE: MADAM MAYO BLOG PARTICIPATES IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM. THIS MEANS THAT WHEN YOU CLICK ON A LINK AND BUY A BOOK SOLD ON AMAZON, IF I HAVE HAPPENED TO BOTHER TO PASTE IN THE CODE FOR THE AFFILIATE LINK, I RECEIVE A TINY COMMISSION, AND I APPRECIATE IT. PLEASE BE ASSURED HOWEVER THAN I NEVER RECOMMEND ANY BOOK ON THIS BLOG FOR ANY REASON OTHER THAN THAT I SINCERELY RECOMMEND IT.